LG.Philips LCD has entered an evaluation agreement for active matrix organic light emitting diode (AMOLED) development with Eastman Kodak. Under the terms of the agreement, LG.Philips LCD and Kodak will jointly evaluate display technologies for mobile displays and consider other opportunities, including the development and supply of AMOLED technology and products.

OLED stands for "organic light-emitting diode", a display device that sandwiches carbon-based films between two charged electrodes, one a metallic cathode and one a transparent anode, usually being glass. The organic films consist of a hole-injection layer, a hole-transport layer, an emissive layer and an electron-transport layer. When voltage is applied to the OLED cell, the injected positive and negative charges recombine in the emissive layer and create electro-luminescent light.

OLED displays are emissive devices - they emit light rather than modulate transmitted or reflected light. OLED is widely used in handheld devices such as PDAs and mobile phones, car audio systems and digital cameras. OLEDs are bright, thin, lightweight and deliver fast response times while using low power and offering high contrast ratio. OLED displays do not require a backlight.

AMOLED is considered the next generation flat panel display technology, since it is thin and light, and is able to display clear and fast moving images. LG.Philips LCD has unveiled a 20.1-inch wide AMOLED panel for TV applications in 2004.

The agreement comes just a few days after Sanyo's decision to close its OLED display manufacturing joint venture with Eastman Kodak in Japan, as part of Sanyo's overall corporate restructuring plan.